Gaia: Tai Chi

bodywork

http://zilly.gaia.com — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 01:43:52 GMT

Hi there:

I'm Liz.

I have fallen out of a daily/weekly tai chi practice, but I have a space in my heart for it. It is truely lovely. I do many active sports and really enjoy the slow quality of tai chi. I learned tai chi chuh from a teacher in my massage school. I really only do a few of the movements -- the ones that I remember.

I practice massage and use energetic practices to keep me exceptionally in tune with my clients. I know that tai chi before a client really creates a wellspring of energy, too.

Thanks!

Re: Introduce Yourself

http://qi.gaia.com — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 14:26:00 GMT

Hello everybody, from Bergen, Norway.

I've been a taiji practitioner for 10 years, mostly Yang Cheng Fu style, as taught by his son Yang Zhen Duo. When I was in Taiyuan for a few days in 2003, I had private lessons with Yang Zhen Duo and his grandson, Yang Bin.

I also practice modern Chen style (56-form), which I learned mostly from Mr. Huang Kang Hui of Beijing Sport University, as well as some other modern short forms (Yang 8/16/24, Chen 8/36).

I know various qi gong sets but what I've practiced mostly is Zhang Zhuan (standing) and lately a variation of 8 brocades as taught by Ole Eskildsen.

For various reasons, for the last 6 months I've done very little taiji. Instead I've done some qigong (standing) and lots of meditation and reflection. :) But when I do practice taiji these days it feels quite wonderful, and it seems I will soon start practicing again...

Guang Ping Yang Tai Chi Video

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 04:44:34 GMT

Lily - Part 1
Lily - Part 2

This pair of videos demonstrates the entire sequence of the Guang Ping style of Tai Chi. There are a number of stylistic expressions even of this form. Lily practices more in the line of that promoted by Shifu Chiang Yun-Chung.

We were experimenting with video techniques. We were wanting to find a way to show the front of the practitioner throughout. Trying to follow the exact orientation of the form will be difficult to follow if you are not already familiar with it. But for Lily (and other students) it gives her a chance to really study herself.

It's been over a year since the video was made. Lily will be the first to tell you that her form looks much different (and much better) now. She has been practicing Tai Chi for over 5 years.

Re: Introduce Yourself

http://cbrandon.gaia.com — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 19:19:41 GMT

Hi Everyone,

My name is Chris and I've just begunt to learn a little about Tai Chi through books and DVDs and will begin studying Chen style Tai Chi with a Master in September. From the little that I have learned so far it already has amazing effects on my everyday life and I am looking forward to learning more.

Chris

Re: Push Hands

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 16:40:21 GMT

Would you mind posting your paper here (in part or in whole)?

Re: Push Hands

http://Ubiquitous-Soul.gaia.com — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 16:04:35 GMT

I find push hand to be the most fulfilling part of my tai chi practice. It, as a form of interaction alows me to self assess with greater objectivity how my form is. Also, I find that as I play it I get in tune with my opponent. I actualy wrote a paper on push hands and that phenomena in particular when I was in college.

Re: Push Hands

http://LobsterJohn.gaia.com — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 16:23:15 GMT

good thoughts! in my teachers class push hands was voluntary... and not encouraged until 6mo to a year into training... but then if you wanted to advance... you need to do push hands. As you said... it redefines the form... rooting... balance... peng... etc... push hands, standing meditation and the form are a trifecta that balance and further each other.

good post :-)

Re: Push Hands

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 08:57:08 GMT

Distance and time prevent me from practicing push hands with some very competent players. In my first 10 years of Tai Chi, I had no real knowledge of what push hands was. In our community college class, we'd perform the cooperative circling exercises and that was about it. I had a very nice "appearing" form up to that point, and for most people that would have been (and is) sufficient.

But once I started practicing push hands, I began to understand the internal experience of energy that one ought to be experiencing when performing Tai Chi. The external expression of my form changed significantly because I better understood the Tai Chi principles and energies that each posture can evoke.

I'm of the feeling that push hands should be taught to students sooner rather than later. It doesn't make sense to have to learn an entire form, then to have to re-learn it based on better information.

I also understand that you can't force everyone to participate in the push hands practice and that you can still have a very meaningful Tai Chi practice without pushing hands. At the other end of the spectrum, I think some push hands players give lip service to the form, and underestimate the meditation and wellness aspects of the Tai Chi in doing so.

Re: Introduce Yourself

http://LobsterJohn.gaia.com — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 02:20:48 GMT

Welcome... I too wish for signs of life! lol... nice to have you here... if you can spark a discussion... I'm all ears! welcome Kiso! John

Re: Introduce Yourself

Sun, 11 Mar 2007 17:51:23 GMT

It appears as though Elvis has left the building, but I'll give it a shot anyway.

I've been practicing the Guang Ping style (which is a Yang family variant) for over 20 years. I started and continue to practice through an local adult education program which has made Tai Chi available to the community for free all that time. I have become one of the class' instructors by social promotion, but I simply consider myself to be the hardest working student in the class.

I also teach Tai Chi to guests at a local destination spa. Teaching Tai Chi in this environment has unsual demands.

Here is a video clip of me demonstrating a fragment of the Guang Ping set, and another of my rendition of a 32 posture sword form.

I hope there will be signs of life in this pod! :)

Re: Push Hands

http://kvnmcwebn.gaia.com — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 21:20:44 GMT

Push hands is cool if you have a partner, theres so many different kinds. In the chen style we do a basic static push to correct posture. Its the only way to get the stance right. There are 5 or six types after that but we dont do those. My brother has been studying at a proper tai chi academy in boston. The students cant do push hands until about a year and a half of hard training. The method they do is painful on the arms.

Push Hands

http://LobsterJohn.gaia.com — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 06:21:24 GMT

Push Hands -

Pushing hands is said to be the gateway for students to understand experientially the martial art aspects of the nei chia (內家 nèi jiā or internal style) martial arts; leverage, reflex, sensitivity, timing, coordination and positioning. The theory being that there is a limit to the amount of physical conditioning available from performing solo form routines, so pushing hands adds the weight of the training partner's pushes onto the legs of the student, legs already bearing the student's own weight. The student then has to deal with the extra work load effectively from a martial point of view before returning their own pushes to the partner in turn. In that sense pushing hands is a contract between students to train the defensive and offensive movement principles of their martial art; learning to generate, coordinate and deliver power to another and also how to effectively neutralize incoming forces in a relatively safe environment.

Taken from wikipedia page on push hands.

Okay, I'm curious how many people training in tai chi here also train in push hands? what type of exercises do you do? is it competition or strict deleopment of technique? Experiences.... both good and bad?

I've trained push hands for quite some time. In my school we started pushing (unless someone just happend to slide in) after a good deal of the form was already learnt. It would start with the development of ting jing (listening skills) using sensitivity drills. Both with single and double hands. Then it would progress to more difficult and competitive (but not nessecarily competition) exercises.

I'm curious what others are doing or have experienced.

John

Re: Standing meditation

http://sparkyr.gaia.com — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 18:06:35 GMT

I practice Chi Kung, Embracing the Tree is a classic version of standing meditation. I have learned a lot from the books and DVD's of BK Frantzis - although I echo others who say that there is really no substitute for having someone correct your posture in person. Frantzis is a westerner, so he understands how to explain things to our western minds - but he is a lineage holder and definitely knows his stuff.

Re: Introduce Yourself

http://LobsterJohn.gaia.com — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 23:52:29 GMT

Welcome Joel, glad to have you here.

Re: Introduce Yourself

http://sparkyr.gaia.com — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 16:04:28 GMT

Hello all. My name is Joel, and I haven't had the opportunity to practice much Tai Chi, per se. I took a few classes from an instructor in college, but didn't follow through - too antsy at the time, took Tae Kwon Do and then Aikido/Iaido for a few years.

More recently I've been practicing Chi Kung and Yoga, and that's what led me here actually - searched for Chi Kung and got this thread! I like that the "forms" of Chi Kung are much simpler, thus easier to learn, and allow me to get deeper into their practice more quickly. I'm interested to explore around the threads here, I'm sure there will be a lot to learn.

Re: Introduce Yourself

http://versatility.gaia.com — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 11:30:11 GMT

Hi. My name is Mike. I've been a zaadz member for a few months, but I've been very busy and haven't had much time to participate. I hope to stop in to this pod from time to time. I practice a lesser-known form of the Yang style called Guang Ping Yang Style. I also know the original 24-movement Beijing form (which has since been modified). In addition to Tai Chi, I practice Dragon-style Bagua along with some Northern Shaolin Long Fist Kung Fu. I have lived in Tokyo for the past 20 years.

Re: Standing meditation

http://Johneeequest.gaia.com — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 01:15:01 GMT

Wow. Thank you for this exercise in increasing awareness. To do this every day for a year additionally will be advancing one's resolution. Sounds like a plan...

Re: Standing meditation

http://pegasus.gaia.com — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 14:44:41 GMT

I do standing meditation very seldom now, but did it in 1987 everyday for a year. From that time I got the following experience, that may be of value to you:

To be aware of the weightshift between left and right AND between forefoot and heel that takes place without your control. To melt together with this "breath" of the bodyweight between the ground and in your feet. It is very important not to create this movement, but to get to a point of relaxation and silence, where you experience that it happens by it self, all the time.

Yours,

Christian

Re: T'ai Chi Reading

http://envisionmagazine.gaia.com — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 00:55:03 GMT

I have a few books I would like to recomend

108 Insights into Tai Chi Chuan
A string of Pearls
by Michael Gilman
108 Insights is a friendly collection of observations, advice and insights to help you refine your Tai Chi Chuan practice. (lovely reading short and quick but profound)

The Yin of Tai Chi
The Yin of Tai Chi is an invaluable aid to the study of this ancient discipline and encourages the reader to consider every aspect of life as a Tai Chi movement. The Yin of Tai Chi Explores Wu Chi the Tao and the true meaning of Tai Chi

and

Tai Chi Journey
This book uses an examination of selected versus of the ao Te Ching to reveal the traditions, philosophy and essence of Tai Chi as a way.

both by John Lash (both great reads got both on ebay)

Simplified Taijiquan
People's Sports Publishing House of China
This book has diagrams of yang style and push hands (got this from my first teacher helpful in learning)

Re: Introduce Yourself

http://envisionmagazine.gaia.com — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 00:19:55 GMT

Hi All

My Name is Laurie

In Jan 2006 my boyfriend and I moved to an island off the coast of Belize.

We did practice Yang Style Tai Chi in Canada, however were still in beginning process.

We know that Tai Chi is a missing ingredient to our lives in so many ways and are working towards finding our way back to it as I wrote in my Looking for ideas post.

I was sure glad to find this group on my zaadz list today.

Peace
Laurie

p.s. we do an online magazine called Envision and we would love to have someone who is intrested in writing about Tai Chi do an article for us. If interested please contact me.